Aston Villa have opened official talks with West Ham over Lucas Paqueta and there is a clear sign the Brazilian could be on his way to Villa Park.
Lucas Paqueta’s future has been the subject of intense speculation, and new developments strongly suggest a switch from the claret and blue of West Ham to the claret and blue of Premier League rivals Aston Villa is on the cards.
Two clubs feeling the PSR pinch more than most this summer transfer window are West Ham and Aston Villa.
The timing could not have been much worse for Hammers boss Graham Potter and Aston Villa manager Unai Emery because the record for Premier League transfer spending has been smashed again, closing on £2.5bn.
West Ham and Aston Villa restricted by PSR
A lack of transfer funds has resulted in underwhelming windows for West Ham and Villa.
At one stage the Hammers were even looking to take advantage of Aston Villa’s PSR difficulties with a move for their homegrown star Jacob Ramsey.
Aston Villa ended up selling their women’s team to help raise the funds needed to comply with PSR.
But they still had to offload Ramsey for over £40m in order to provide Emery funds for signings.
Ramsey chose Newcastle and Champions League football over West Ham.
West Ham were in a similar position with the club forced to break a 14-year transfer embargo between them and bitter rivals Spurs with the sale of Mohammed Kudus for £54.5m.
Heading into the summer, Hammers fans knew Kudus was going to be sold.
And there was intense speculation Paqueta could also depart if he was cleared of spot-fixing.
The Brazilian duly did get off those charges, leaving him free to continue his career.
Given Paqueta was days away from being sold to Man City when the allegations first emerged in 2023, it should be no great surprise he may now be moved on.
At 28, Paqueta is now two years older, with two years less on his contract and an ever-decreasing transfer value.
Clear sign West Ham star Paqueta will join Aston Villa
He has looked a shadow of his former self for much of that time and although he has two goals so far this season, his performances have still been below par.
That being said, Paqueta is still attracting interest as Potter looks to overhaul his team and midfield with a rebuild around young, hungry talent.
West Ham’s owners confirmed Aston Villa and Spurs want Paqueta, as well as two Saudi clubs.
Everton have also been linked with the Brazil playmaker too.
Now there is a clear sign West Ham star Paqueta will join Aston Villa as official talks open.
Several of them in fact.
According to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, Paqueta is ‘one to watch’ for Aston Villa until deadline day.
That’s after Villa officially contacted West Ham to ask for the conditions to do a deal to sign Paqueta.
It should be noted Aouna was the first to reveal Paqueta’s move to West Ham from Lyon back in 2022.
Now he claims Emery sees the Hammers midfielder as one of the options if Morgan Rogers leaves Aston Villa amid links to the likes of Chelsea.
The reporter states the Hammers want £60m for their record £51m signing – who earns £150k per week at the London Stadium.
There has been a clear and obvious sign Aston Villa will get their man too.
Sudden Hammers spree and Spurs switch give game away
Because out of nowhere West Ham have launched an unprecedented number of transfer moves this week.
After a slow window, the Hammers have burst into life.
West Ham confirmed two signings are imminent, those believed to be a £42m deal for Portuguese star Mateus Fernandes and the £17.3m signing of Soungoutou Magassa.
It is being claimed by a host of sources that the Hammers are not done there either.
Having pleaded PSR poverty all summer, West Ham are now suddenly making moves for a centre-back, another midfielder, a striker and another goalkeeper.
West Ham are in active talks to sign Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber and Hull City ‘keeper Ivor Pandur.
Fernandes, Magassa, Timber and Pandur are just a few of the plethora of players the Hammers are being linked with too.
It all points to West Ham gearing up to sell Paqueta.
When confirming Aston Villa’s interest in the former Lyon and Milan midfielder, West Ham’s board did not offer any guarantees Paqueta would not be sold if his valuation was met.
If West Ham had the kind of money they are suddenly throwing around before now then why have they left it so late to make much-needed signings?
The answer looks likely to be that the Hammers know Paqueta is on his way with Aston Villa clearly the most serious.
And especially as Spurs switch their attentions from Paqueta to a record bid for Xavi Simons in the same position.
West Ham’s flurry of transfer activity smacks of a club that knows they have a big influx of cash on the way.
